Grade 11 Healthy Active Living Education Additional Supports ...

Policy/Law Impact on Health
Smoking by-law:
• Many cities in North America have begun
placing restrictions where individuals can
smoke in public places to protect the public
from being exposed to environmental
tobacco smoke.
For example, since June 1, 2001 TorontoÕs
by-law prohibits smoking in public such as
restaurants and dinner theatres unless it is
done in an approved fully enclosed and
separately ventilated designated smoking
room that is not greater than 25% of
occupiable space. See local city website to
review local smoking by-laws.
Tobacco Control Act:
• Has been in effect in Ontario since 1994.
• Municipalities, provincial governments and
federal governments have laws relating to
tobacco control.
• The legal age to buy tobacco is 19 years
old and acceptable forms of ID to show
when purchasing tobacco include: Ontario
drivers license, Canadian passport,
Canadian citizenship card, age of majority.
• It is illegal to buy or sell tobacco to minors.
• Smoking is banned in schools and on
school property.
Legal Drinking Age:
• Addressed under the Liquor License Act.
• Provincial Statue 19 years old in Ontario.
• By-laws of this kind have been successful
in limiting the publicÕs exposure to
environmental tobacco smoke in other
regions where they have been implemented
for several years as well as denormalizing
smoking behaviour.
• Limiting access of youth to tobacco is one
element of a successful program aimed at
reducing the rate of smoking.
• ÒResearch has shown that enforcing the
law restricting sales to minors and/or
providing education can reduce the number
of over the counter sales, and possibly the
rate of smoking among young peopleÓ
(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health,
1999).
• Youth get addicted to smoking if they can
get cigarettes easily.
• If youth have not started smoking by age
20, there is less chance that they will not
smoke at all.
• The younger a person begins smoking, the
greater the risk for developing the
numerous illnesses and characteristics
associated to smoking (e.g., decrease in
physical fitness, early development of
artery disease, a possible precursor to heart
problems).
• Raising the legal drinking age has been has
been a factor in reducing the drinking and
driving rates among youth (Centre for
Addiction and Mental Health, 1999).
Grade 11 Healthy Active Living Education (PPL30), Module #3 Violence and Risk Taking Behaviour
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